My Hobby and Interest - Research

Bioscience Association of Maine 2026 State of the Industry - Life Sciences in Maine  LINK to report HERE .

 From the Maine Department of Labor, published 9-20-26. LINK to report.

MaineHealth Institute for Research is an institutional member of the National Postdoctoral Association - all MHIR-associated staff and trainees have access to their resources. The webinar archives can be accessed HERE . This webinar occurred in October 2026 - while it was not recorded, follow the link below for the slides: Link to slides here .  

 election.org YOUR NONPARTISAN PUBLIC RECORD Your next vote starts here. A clear view of your ballot, your representatives, and the facts. Resource for election .

  Major Supermarket Begins Wide-Scale Tests to Bring Heritage Apple Varieties to Market by Andy Corbly See these apples here? They rank among the most consumed worldwide—and one of Europe’s largest supermarkets would like to see that changed. The Spar Group is embarking on a project to bring heritage and heirloom cultivars to market at scale through commercialization testing of numerous alpine apples. They feature rather interesting names, reflecting the hard work and humor of the time they were developed—in some cases over 200 years ago. Austrian produce trader Frutura is on board the project with Spar, and the first varieties they’re testing are called the Ilzer Rose, which originates in the year 1840 from the southern state of Styria, and the  Falchs Gulderling , identified in the 1870s in South Tirol. “Many consumers today are once again taking a greater interest in where food comes from, the varieties involved and how it tastes,” Markus Kaser, Spar Austria’s deputy chair,...

  First Friday Art Walk (free from 5-8 PM) On the first Friday evening of every month, the city’s artists, galleries, and arts venues open up their doors for Portland’s thriving First Friday Art Walk. Creative Portland has also launched an accompanying live music program in the heart of the city. MISSION To open the doors of Portland’s arts community by joining together and introducing a wider audience to the unique vitality of the artists and venues of Portland, and to promote interest with non-exclusivity and easy access, thereby strengthening the arts and community through diversity and celebration. HISTORY Started in the year 2000, First Friday Art Walk has blossomed into a monthly arts and cultural event that takes place on the first Friday of every month (regardless of weather) throughout the city, centered primarily in the Arts District. Over 3,000 people come downtown each month to visit galleries and museums, see live performances, buy work from street artists, and greet f...

  The Maine Harvest Festival and Craft Show is an annual showcase of Maine-made products and artisan crafts at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. Features 200+ Maine vendors offering handmade crafts, specialty foods, holiday gifts, and artisan goods. Free admission, family-friendly, with food and demonstrations the weekend before Thanksgiving each November. More info here . 

  A Weekly Update of Policy News and Select Funding Opportunities Compiled by  Van Scoyoc Associates View this email in your browser October 23, 2026 Health   Trump signs order creating NIH division, task force for women's health  President Donald Trump signed an executive order alongside first lady Melania Trump on Monday creating a White House task force and a National Institutes of Health division focused on women's health. The task force will be led ​by White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, who recently announced that she is cancer-free, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump ‌said at a White House event. It directs the federal government to pursue a comprehensive approach to women's health across all life stages, strengthening research to speed up prevention, diagnosis, and treatment and translating those findings into clinical practice and policy, according to a White House fact sheet. Read more:   Reuters   HHS national kidney care ...

  Join me in the Scarborough main conference room on this week or on zoom: Tuesday October 27 and October 29, 8:00am-8:30am https://maine.zoom.us/j/4625543963 If you are joining in person in the main conf room in Scarborough, mats are available in the lobby closet. Come early to make yourself a space for practice.

Follow this link to video to see the farewell tribute to Elena Odlin from Tony Molina and Martha Scott, with assistance from Gwen Swan.

 Science Magazine THE INSTIGATOR A single FBI agent spurred NIH’s campaign against foreign intervention on U.S. campuses. Now, he’s studying the extent of the problem  by Jeffrey Mervis The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has spent the past decade compiling information on hundreds of U.S.-based scientists it believes tried to illegally help their country of origin, most often China. But it’s never been clear what triggered  NIH’s aggressive pursuit of these scientists , many of whom eventually lost their jobs or even went to jail, and why it was so much more extensive than efforts at other federal agencies. Mystery solved.  Science  has learned that Tam Dao, an academic psychologist–turned–FBI special agent for counterintelligence, laid the groundwork for NIH’s campaign. “I led the investigation that started all this,” Dao says, acknowledging for the first time his pivotal role as the United States competes with China for global leadership in science. Dao remains...

 Lean In Research: How the manosphere is showing up at work Findings from a new LeanIn.Org survey Written by Mary Noble-Tolla Last updated October 20, 2026 Beliefs that women aren’t cut out for paid work–or leadership–are outdated and wrong. But these ideas are now hard to avoid: 9 in 10 Americans have seen manosphere or tradwife content, according to Lean In’s research. And this content may be shifting men’s views of women at work. Men who view it frequently are far more likely to believe that men are naturally better suited to lead, and that women are too emotional for top roles. Research does not bear out these beliefs. But they’re now common in workplaces, which could mean women experience gender bias more often and get fewer chances to advance.  Here’s what the data show: Key findings 9 in 10 Americans have seen tradwife or manosphere content 9 in 10 Americans have seen these types of content (M: 91% and W: 88%). Men are nearly twice as likely as women to hold manosphere-...